Curtail demand; supply will drop

January 16, 2013

Ohio has improved its efforts to eliminate human trafficking, usually involved in the sex trade, state legislators were told last week. Linda Smith, head of Shared Hope International, said Ohio had a "D" grade on the issue two years ago, but has improved to a "C."

Still, not enough is being done, said Smith, whose group focuses on children who are victims of sex trafficking.

Girls as young as 11 years of age are being bought and sold in the Buckeye State, Smith told legislators.

An effective means of curbing that horrific trade is to impose stiffer sentences on men arrested for paying for child prostitutes, Smith added, noting "If it wasn't for men buying sex, there wouldn't be a market."

She is absolutely right. Lawmakers should enact much harsher sentences for men caught knowingly paying for child prostitutes.